Underground Playlist

The alternative music industry is most definitely a hard one to crack; what with the flurry of up and coming underground artists all competing with one another to break through the industry's often impassable surface. Shedding light on some of its relatively undiscovered talent however, two complimentary rock-orientated bands I've been lucky enough to stumble upon, Catfish & The Bottlemen and Since Monroe, compliment each other in terms of their fragmented guitar style and brash, plunging riffs. In a world of continually-developing technology and rising genre dilution, guitar-driven bands face even more pressure to deliver to ensure heavier music still retains its place in the forefront of industry attention, so if bands like these are anything to go by, the next generation of guitar bands will have a resolute and headstrong future.

Catfish & The Bottlemen

Explosive rock 'n' roll outfit, Catfish & The Bottlemen have made strong headway from their humble roots in Llandudno of North Wales, playing songs from their two EPs in a myriad of cities across the UK and Europe. I was lucky enough to see the bold and energetic four-piece in the intimacy of The Box in Crewe and it's clear that the resounding heavy rock riffs and surging drums of tracks such as 'Sidewinder' are incredibly well-suited to the amplified bravado of an eclectic urban venue. With an array of festival slots lined up for the summer, the promise of exciting things to come lingers auspiciously for the group, and I have no doubt that this track is only a fraction of their musical capabilities.

Sidewinder - Catfish & The Bottlemen

Since Monroe

Plunging vehemently into their recently-released single, 'Everyone's A Statue', Birmingham-hailing rock ensemble, Since Monroe, have provided us with merely a taster of their brusque, impetuous sound, as they go on to play their first gig at The Dublin Castle in Camden on 12th April. Immersing listeners in an intense, clanging cacophony of conflicting guitar riffs right from the offset, the track is laced with the steady rise and fall of the gritty bassline and rhythmic hard-hitting drum backing. Vocally, the band are arguably a little premature, but their fervent and frantic instrumental prowess is immediately illustrated by the confidence and dexterity exuded by the song. They most certainly possess potential to grow and progress immeasurably.

Everyone's A Statue - Since Monroe